Why Do Dogs Eat Fast

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Why Do Dogs Eat Fast

by Eric Hartwell

Every dog loves leftover food. They eat it just like normal food - not for them the worry that it is old and even contaminated. Regardless of cleanliness, it is all a feast to him. And he will gobble it up - seemingly so that he can get it down before being scalded for trying.

But dogs will tend to eat as fast as they possibly can. There is a reason for this that dates back many years. In olden days, food was relatively scarce and competition fierce. When you are a dog in the wild you have to look after number one.

Domesticated dogs of today may eat their food slowly without concern. But their predecessors did not have this luxury. Food would probably be gone with the blink of an eye. This behavioural characteristic is still paramount even today in some dogs.

Dogs evolved from their predecessors, wolves. Wolves are very quick and efficient eaters and can devour as much as 35 to 40 pounds of meat at one go. Early dogs had the same characteristics. In an evolutionary sense, dogs (and other animals) do this to ensure their continued survival.

Early dogs and wolves also did not know where their next meal would be coming from. That had to eat as much as they could and as quickly as they could to survive.

Being group animals originally, this meant that prey would be eaten in a rank order sense meaning that the dominant dogs would come out top whilst the weaker ones would eventually weaken further and even die.

So when you see your dog devouring food as he does this is because of the old habits of evolution and how they still exist in today's domesticated dog. He is not greedy but simply using the messages and instincts passed on through evolution to this very day.